t5 question.....

hello everyone.....i recently setup a veg area. i got a 4' 4 bulb t5 fixture. pic below. the guy at the hydro store said t5's dont get hot. after having them on for 30 hours now they are hot. i am able to leave my finger on the bulb as long as i want. just wondering if the guy was wrong cause these lights do radiate heat. i have two lil 6inch fans blowing and the air at plant level feels cool. i guess my question is not a question but i am looking for some reassurance that i am doing this right.

t5s will get hot, but no where near the amount of heat of say an hps or mh.. i let me plants get too close to my t5, they were actually leaning on it for a night or so and it definitely burned my plants.. don't get me wrong, an hps would have burned it much faster than the t5 did..
the fans are a good idea.. aside from removing heat, they will also help the stems get stronger and help the plant hold up the buds when you get into flowering..

I also Veg under a 4 foot t5 fixture they will give off some heat but not like a HID. I have no heat problems in a 2 by 3 foot room.

High Hopes said:

I also Veg under a 4 foot t5 fixture they will give off some heat but not like a HID. I have no heat problems in a 2 by 3 foot room.

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great!!! im in a 2x4 tent. i was attempting to flower in the tent but i could not use my 1000w and control the heat in the tent. so it is now my $200 veg tent. not my preference. how far do you keep your lights from the plants?

High Hopes said:

I also Veg under a 4 foot t5 fixture they will give off some heat but not like a HID. I have no heat problems in a 2 by 3 foot room.

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How close are you keeping the T5's? I've got a fixture that can hold 8 4-foot bulbs but I'm only using 4 at the moment. Got them about 6-8 inches away (over seedlings).

i use a fan under thee t5 that point up to the lights and they stay cool like that where you can touch them as long ass you want

Dr.RR said:

How close are you keeping the T5's? I've got a fixture that can hold 8 4-foot bulbs but I'm only using 4 at the moment. Got them about 6-8 inches away (over seedlings).

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i keep the lights maybe 5 inches from plant tops. i have a fan blowing on the bulbs too. it keeps the air around plant level cool to touch.

I have mine about 6 inches away.